Baylor SOC Opens 2021 Campaign on the Road

[Pirtle, Krista]

BAYLOR AT MINNESOTA
Thursday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m.
Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium
Video: BTN+

BAYLOR AT NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Sunday, Aug. 22 at 1 p.m.
Dacotah Field
Video: gobison.com

BAYLOR BEARS
2021 Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Paul Jobson<https://baylorbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=340>
Career: 89-52-20 (9th season)
BU: 89-52-20 (9th season)

MINNESOTA GOPHERS
2021 Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Erin Chastain
Career: 119-113-34 (15th season)
Minnesota: 0-0-0 (1st season)

NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON
2021 Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Mike Regan
Career: 24-22-4 (4th season)
North Dakota State: 24-22-4 (4th season)

STORY LINES
• Baylor opens its 2021 season on the road with a match at Minnesota on Thursday before continuing to North Dakota to wrap things up on Sunday. This is the first time since 2016 - and only eighth time in program history that the Bears begin a season away from home.
• BU is 16-6-2 all-time in season openers. The last time the Bears won on the road to start a season was at Detroit on Aug. 19, 2016, when Baylor won, 2-0.
• The 2021 season marks the 25th anniversary of the Baylor Soccer program. To celebrate, BU unveiled an updated crest for the season.
• The Bears return close to their whole roster from the 2020 season that featured plenty of twists and turns along the way due to COVID-19. Every starter returns for BU to give the Bears plenty of experience across the field.
• Adding to that experience is a talented group of freshmen as Baylor welcomes six for the 2021 season in addition to a graduate transfer in goalkeeper Alyssa Navarrete<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10691> from Georgetown.
• Baylor finished the conference slate of 2020 tied for fourth place in the league with a 3-3-3 record. Six of those results were shutouts by BU's "No Goal Patrol." The Bears opened the season tying eventual Big 12 champ TCU, the lone team to not be defeated by the Horned Frogs in league play. A month later, Baylor shut out No. 4 Oklahoma State in double overtime before following that up with the first win over a top-five program (2-0 over No. 5 Kansas) since the Bears defeated Texas A&M, 2-1, in overtime on Oct. 12, 1997.
• Fifth-year senior Jennifer Wandt<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10623> returns between the pipes for the Bears. The Brookfield, Wisc., native became the program's all-time leader in career shutouts with 32 as she posted seven clean sheets a season ago. Wandt is tied with Melanie Wilson (Texas A&M, 1996-99) for fourth in Big 12 history. Additionally, Wandt is third in program history with 257 career saves, second in goalkeeper minutes played at 7.055 and second with 44 career wins.
• Another fifth-year senior for Baylor is Ally Henderson-Ashkinos<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10611>, who married former Baylor pitcher Jacob Ashkinos in July 2021. Henderson-Ashkinos is tied for eighth in program history with 13 career assists. The Wichita, Kan., native is also fifth in program history with 6,294 career minutes played.
• Joining Wandt on this year's Preseason All-Big 12 team is Taylor Moon<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10617>. Moon led the attack for BU a year ago with six goals. Half of them came against Louisiana on March 27. That marked the 19th hat trick in Baylor history and the first since Elizabeth Kooiman's<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10614> against West Virginia in 2019.
• Moon netted another hat trick on Aug. 12 in Baylor's first exhibition of the preseason against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. It took her a total of 13 minutes to score three goals.
• Joining Moon on the front line for Baylor this season are Mackenzie Anthony<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10606>, Elizabeth Kooiman<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10614>, Olivia Mack<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10616> and Haven Terry<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10695>. Anthony had a pair of goals last year, while Kooiman netted her lone goal of the season at WVU and Mack had the golden goal against Oklahoma to wrap up fall action. Terry, a freshman from Missouri City, Texas, will see plenty of time for the Bears.
• Familiar faces in Henderson-Ashkinos and Maddie Algya<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10605> hold things down in the midfield for Baylor. Joining them in the middle will be Gabby Mueller<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10618>, Brooklyn Kouns<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10615> and Giuliana Cunningham<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10609>. Henderson-Ashkinos turned into a goal-scoring machine with three goals in the spring with Algya and Mueller capable of finding the back of the net from outside the box.
• The heralded Baylor backline, aka the "No Goal Patrol" has added depth to the experience that returns in Sarah Norman<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10619>, Kayley Ables<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10604>, Chloe Japic<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10613> and Sarah Hornyak<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10612>. Mix in the speed of Ava Colberg<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10693> and the play of Kate Zimmerman<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10694> - both are freshmen - and the Baylor line of defense is even stronger.


Krista Pirtle | Associate Director of Athletics Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
O: 254-710-3065 | C: 254-447-8610

[signature_1358630767]<http://www.baylorbears.com/>
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